prescriptive
adjective
pre·scrip·tive
pri-ˈskrip-tiv 
1
: serving to prescribe
prescriptive rules of usage
2
: acquired by, founded on, or determined by prescription or by long-standing custom
prescriptively
adverb
Examples of prescriptive in a Sentence
Critics claim the new rules are too prescriptive.
even in this age of e-mail the prescriptive response to a wedding gift is a handwritten thank-you note
Recent Examples on the Web
Until the passage of a constitutional amendment in November 2024 by a margin of 58% to 42%, those same six conditions were part of a state constitution that was unusually prescriptive on rules for absentee voting.
—
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
Whoop’s sleep data tends to be more prescriptive than descriptive.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
To stop a race to the bottom in the scope of benefits, the ACA imposes highly prescriptive benefit mandates and network-adequacy requirements.
—Chris Pope, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Being incredibly prescriptive about child-rearing in that way can arguably be harmful because children are their own people, and part of growing up is making mistakes.
—CNN Money, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
Whoop’s sleep data tends to be more prescriptive than descriptive.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
To stop a race to the bottom in the scope of benefits, the ACA imposes highly prescriptive benefit mandates and network-adequacy requirements.
—Chris Pope, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Being incredibly prescriptive about child-rearing in that way can arguably be harmful because children are their own people, and part of growing up is making mistakes.
—CNN Money, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prescriptive
Cite this Entry
“Prescriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prescriptive. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
prescriptive
adjective
pre·scrip·tive
pri-ˈskrip-tiv
1
: serving to prescribe
prescriptive rules
2
: acquired by, founded on, or constituting prescription
a prescriptive right
a longer prescriptive period
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
